3 Reasons The Church Needs Leaders Who Empower Others

**It is easier to just do it myself, rather than spending twice as much time explaining it to someone else.**

**If only I could get some help around here!**

One of the major (and fatal) flaws of many pastoral leaders in the Catholic Church is the failure to properly empower others to do pastoral ministry alongside them. There are many excuses and reasons why this happens, but rather than focus on those, I want to look at the need to empower others and the results when we do.

3 Reasons The Church Needs Leaders Who Empower Others

1 - Moses wanted to do it all himself and therefore he failed as a leader, until he was corrected by his father-in-law. It is pretty clear what happened in Exodus 18. Moses took all the responsibilities to lead the people upon himself. Does this sound like your local diocese or parish

When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand about you from morning till evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God and his decisions.

But, then Jethro makes his opinion known:

Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God, and bring their cases to God; and you shall teach them the statutes and the decisions, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover choose able men from all the people, such as fear God, men who are trustworthy and who hate a bribe; and place such men over the people as rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times; every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves; so it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

Delegation of those things which aren’t vital frees Moses to be a better leader. Most pastoral leaders are not doing this. Too often there is a lack of trust or a lack of investment in making other leaders. Unfortunately, this model is unsustainable. It leads to stagnation of the ministry and burnout for leaders.

2 - Empowering others follows in the model Jesus left of us. There is ample evidence of Jesus empowering others to take on leadership. Think of this amazing stat:Jesus spent 73% of his time with twelve men, according to the number of events in the Gospels. That is 46 events with the twelve apostles vs 17 events with large groups - a 3 to 1 ratio! This is no coincidence or inconsequential statistic. So, why do we spend so much time with large groups, rather than deep formation with a handful of people, who we teach, guide, mentor, and form relationships with? It is because it seems like it it too inefficient. Well, let me ask you - are you able to serve the crowds with enough pastoral care that it becomes life-changing? If not, why not? Probably because it is impossible to deeply care for many people by yourself. Knowing this is the case, why wouldn’t we want to raise up more leaders who can help us care for the masses, by deeply investing in a few - who then do the same thing with others?

This is the model of Jesus. If He is truly our master, then why do we think we will be successful at leading His Church, without following His model and lead?

3 - Jesus entrusts His Church to us, but it remains His Church, not our Church. In the parable of the talents, in Matthew 25, we hear about the master who goes on a long journey and entrusts his property to his servants. When he returns, he expects that the servants will have multiplied that which was entrusted to them. I believe we will be expected of us is the the same that was expected of the servants - that they multiplied what was entrusted to them. So, I ask you to reflect on this parable. Will you be able to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.” Will Jesus rejoice because you were given a share of His Church and you grew it?

All of us will be called to give an account of how we cared for those who are given to us to lead. The Master is coming and we need to be convinced that we can’t improve His model of ministry, we can only apply it to our particular time and place.

Conclusion - Jesus wants us to make more leaders, because “the harvest is plentiful and the laborers few.” Therfore, Jesus needs us to delegate to others, to build His Church. It isn’t our Church, it is His and we have been given a model of how to empower others, by deeply investing in a few & sending them out to do the same. Don't wait for your Father-in-law to call you to task, when he sees you failing as a leader.